Text and photo: Jonathan Gharbi de Maré
The journey starts from Tirana and continues by car along rural roads and lovely views to the beautiful Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. The roads are good so the journey is relatively quick and in about an hour you suddenly find yourself at the small border with North Macedonia.
Tweet
Share
Share
Pin
Share
ShareSome people think that traveling around the Balkans is complicated, and that's how it was maybe 30 years ago. But nowadays it's very easy, safe, and the roads are like back home in Sweden, maybe a little more winding.
Table of contents
Lake Ohrid and the Monastery of Saint Naum
Lake Ohrid is incredibly beautiful with snow-capped mountains surrounding it for much of the year. There are plenty of private places to stay if you want to be by yourself by the lake. If you are planning to stay overnight in the city of Ohrid, it is perfect to plan a stop of a few hours with lunch and a boat trip at Saint Naum.
It is incredibly peaceful to just walk by Lake Ohrid and see the snow-capped mountains rise against the backdrop of the clear water. The Monastery of Naum is from the 9th century and is one of many beautiful churches around Ohrid.
Boat trip in the water springs near Ohrid
The area at Sankt Naum is well visited as there are also restaurants and boats you can go on. As the lake is protected it is mostly electric motors and rowing boats. Next to Ohrid there is a canal with cold spring water that bubbles up, the water is so clean and nice that you can drink directly from the canal.
You can take a boat trip where you row around with oars and enjoy the beautiful area, the boat trip takes about 30 minutes but you can also book longer boat trips of about three hours if you want to go around Lake Ohrid itself. The lake is one of the oldest in Europe, over a million years old.
Cozy town of Ohrid and Church of Saint John in Kaneo
The journey from Saint Naum to the city of Ohrid takes about 45 minutes. Ohrid is both the name of the lake and the city of Ohrid, which is a popular tourist destination during the summer.
If you are going to book accommodation there, do it well in advance. It is an old place where people have lived for 2500 years, so there is a lot of history. The city was an important hub for trade and has been influenced by different cultures over the years.
St. John's Church is perfectly situated on the waterfront and is most beautiful at sunset. The easiest way to get there is to walk from the city, either along the waterfront or up past the castle. I chose to walk past the castle and another church with a view of the sea before St. John's Church. It is a special feeling to know that the church has stood there for more than a thousand years and has been a holy place for many. The church is an important symbol in North Macedonia and is depicted in many forms.
The city of Ohrid is also famous for its 365 churches so there are more to visit but this one is in the absolute most beautiful place. The memories and pictures from St. John's Church are truly something you take home and look at again and again and remember the wonderful atmosphere.
Amphitheater and castle in the city of Ohrid
The castle is at the top with a nice view of the city and the water. The old amphitheater is located just below and hosts concerts and artists during the summer season. There are also walls left from the Middle Ages and a number of other historical sites to explore if you get tired of enjoying the beautiful views. There are many jewelry shops in Ohrid and some really nice streets to stroll around.
There are several boats on the promenade that offer trips of varying lengths on the lake. It is well worth taking a trip at sunset near St. John's Church if you want to take really nice pictures and have a fantastic experience.
Ecotourism and farm visit, Spirit of Prespa
On the road from the city of Ohrid during our trip to Skopje is the small town of Carev Dvor, in the Prespa region where fruit and berries are grown. Both Albania and Greece border Prespa, it is easy to forget that the country is small and that it is close to the other countries.
Spirit of Prespa is a farm that produces apples, fruit liqueurs, juice and much more. Prespa is a very beautiful region with plains surrounded by mountains and a lot of apples are grown in the region. Spirit of Prespa has visitor activities but can also be helpful in questions about hiking trails and cycling routes in the region.
There are many mountain bike trails in the country, so if you are interested in that, it might be nice to plan a bike ride in the area. The female entrepreneur Ana Labor is the latest in the family to run the farm and is happy to share tips for activities in the area.
Vineyard visit, Stobi Winery
Stobi winery is one of the largest wineries in the Balkans with almost five million liters of annual production. North Macedonia has a relatively large area of vineyards for its size, a full 23,000 hectares, which is more than many other countries in Europe.
Visit and tasting can be planned as lunch if you are leaving Ohrid in the morning and arriving in Skopje in the afternoon. There is a restaurant with a very good menu so don't rush through lunch here. There is of course a menu with food and wine combined. They have divided their wines into different categories, everything from simple wines for under a hundred to the slightly more exclusive line for over 250 SEK a bottle.
Traveling around North Macedonia
After traveling around large parts of the country and visiting several locations, it can be said that North Macedonia is easy to travel around and safe for tourists.
Traveling in North Macedonia – good to know
- How to travel around? You can either rent a car yourself or book through one of the many companies that offer tours in the Balkans. Traveling by minibus is the absolute best and most common option, as the train network is not sufficiently developed.
- The roads? The roads are generally good and there are several new roads under construction, including a highway between Skopje and Ohrid.
- Traffic? The traffic is also quite calm and people drive calmly so you can leave your rally gloves at home.
- Skiing in North Macedonia? There are several large and really good areas to ski in, so there is reason to go to North Macedonia even during the winter months. The ski resort Popova Sapka is the one that the Swedish travel companies have trips to, but Mavrovo – Zare Lazarevski is also really popular.
Follow Jonathan here:
English (UK) 
Svenska